Take A Small Step Back
by hunters-of-221B-from-Gallifrey
Summary: On a seemingly normal hunt, Sam and Dean discover that they are actually hunting a creature they thought was extinct. After centuries of hiding, it comes out to feed on children and infants. But what will happen when Castiel comes to help? When something goes horribly wrong, Sam and Dean have to figure out how to help Castiel before it is too late. Child!Cas. T for mild language
1. Chapter 1

**Greetings my beautiful followers and newcomers. I am really proud of this story so far, probably the best beginning I have done so far. I would love for you guys to review honestly and if you have any suggestions, tell me. I am open to criticism and new ideas. **

**This is suppose to be set in season eight, when Castiel wasn't completely controlled by Naomi, so early on. And DISCLAIMER: I don't own Supernatural or nothing, they belong to Eric Kripke. Trust me, all of y'all would know if I did.**

**Love you guys!**

* * *

Once upon a time, hunters of the supernatural were commended for their acts of valor and were often knighted by whomever owned the land they saved. The knights hunted witches, dragons, ghouls, werewolves, and even demons on occasion. But there was one type of monster that almost always evaded them. They were called the _Kinderfressers_, or Child-Eaters. They came from Germany and spread around Europe, devouring infants and small children in village after village, until there was hardly a child left. Certain Kinderfressers, extremely experienced ones could turn fully grown humans into infants or children to devour. It was extremely hard to kill them, and they could blend easily into the local villages, so no knight believed he could stop them. That was, until a brave knight took it upon himself to kill every single Kinderfresser in the known world after witnessing one eat all of his seven children. The knight prayed for the help of an angel by the name of Hadraniel. The angel gave him a special blade that could kill angels and demons, but most importantly, it could kill the Kinderfressers. He spent the remainder of his life killing the Kinderfressers with this special blade until none remained. Or so he thought.

These days, hunters are not recognized by the population, in fact, no people truly believe the monsters they hunt even exist. And yet the hunters that remained helped selflessly, killing the monsters that threatened people. These hunters dealt with problems that nearly no hunter had to deal with before. The Judeo-Christian apocalypse for one, the rising of Lucifer himself, the releasing of the Leviathans from Purgatory, and so on. There were two specific hunters in the middle of all this. Sam and Dean Winchester; the vessels of Micheal and Lucifer, helped to start and end the apocalypse, as well as send the Leviathans back to Purgatory. Both men had been to Hell and Heaven, as well as Purgatory. But still they hunted for the good of man. Soon, however, they would be tested yet again by something even they did not expect.

* * *

"So, what do you think it is? Witch? Something else?" Dean asked his brother from the driver seat of the 1967 Impala. Sam was flipping through their father's journal of his monstrous encounters. Sam shook his head at the weathered pages and closed it.

"I don't even know man. I looked through Dad's journal, and no where does it mention anything about something that kidnaps kids, babies and even fully grown people. You think it is demon activity? Maybe a ritual or something?" Sam suggested, putting the book in the glove compartment. Dean shrugged.

"Maybe, I got a bad feeling about this one, Sammy. I still think it is a witch though. Maybe it is a group of 'em." Dean offered as they pulled into the motel they had chosen to stay in. "I'll get a room. Stay here and try going through Dad's journal again." Dean said, turning off the car. He walked in and rang the bell on the counter. No one came for a few minutes, but finally, a woman with puffy red eyes came from the back. She sniffed heavily.

"May I help you?" She asked with a shaking voice. Tear stains were prominent on her previously make up-ed face, along with the long smear of mascara across her cheeks. Dean knitted together his eyebrows at the woman.

"Are you okay?" He asked. She shook her head and fell into a new group of sobs. "Ma'am, I need you to answer me. I am Agent Bertram of the FBI, is there something here?" Dean urged, reaching for his pistol. She shook her head again.

"No, there is nothing here. THAT IS THE PROBLEM" She screamed. Dean looked outside to his brother and waved furiously for him to join him in the lobby of the motel. "I can't find her anywhere. She's just...gone."

After a long conversation with the woman, Sam and Dean discovered that her five year old daughter had disappeared about an hour ago. Dean and Sam got a good description of her and promised they would do their best to bring her back. Sam tried to comfort her the best he could, but her eyes had glassed over. She was in shock, and could barely answer a question without breaking down again. The brothers still could not figure out what they were hunting, so they decided to call a friend once they got to their room.

"Cas! Get your feathery ass down here! We need to know what this thing is and I-" Dean yelled to the sky before the soft sound of fluttering wings came from behind him.

"Hello Dean."

"Great, now we need your help. We have no idea what this thing is that is kidnapping these people. Sam has flipped through every page in Dad's journal and nothing came up. Do you know anything or any spell that would need four kids, three babies and two adults?" Dean asked Castiel. Castiel shook his head.

"Have only heard of one thing that could ever do this, but they are extinct and it would be nearly impossible for it to actually be one." Castiel offered. Sam and Dean exchanged looks.

"Well, dragons were suppose to be extinct too, but that didn't stop them from freeing Eve from Purgatory, now did it?" Dean said sarcastically, sitting down on the hard bed of the motel room.

"Dean's got a point, we don't have luck when it comes to 'extinct'. Let's just assume that whatever you are talking about exists." Sam said loading his pistol. Cas shook his head.

"You won't need one of those if it is what I believe it to be. I think it is a Kinderfresser." Castiel admitted grimly. Sam's jaw dropped, but Dean just gave them blank looks.

"Kindergarten what?" He asked, partially joking. He grabbed a beer from the fridge in their room and pooped it open before sitting back down on the bed.

"Dean, this is no laughing matter. Kinderfressers were suppose to be killed off centuries ago by an extremely brave and now famous hunter. Stories today call him Sir Lancelot." Castiel responded seriously. Dean nearly spat out his beer.

"Lancelot? As in a knight of the Round Table?" Dean asked. Sam looked at him strangely. "What? You nerd out about different things, I go crazy over western movies and knight stories. They're the best! So, they were all hunters?! If they were hunters, then who was that Merlin guy they talk about? Was he a real witch?!" Dean demanded, his face lighting up.

"No. Gabriel went through a very, er, eccentric period during the Dark Ages." Castiel said, looking down at the floor. Sam laughed out loud.

"Yeah, I bet." Dean gave him a confused glance, but turned back to Cas.

"So, Cas. How do we gank the bitch?" Dean asked blatantly. Cas looked at him and squinted his eyes, as though he was trying to remember something.

"One of my brothers, Hadraniel, gave him an archangel blade. It is the only thing I know of that could kill one." Castiel told them. He unsheathed his and glanced at it. "Hadraniel also was able to mark each one so that angels and Lancelot could find them, and it is faint, but now that I am looking for it, I can see where it is."

"Well! That's awesome! We can find those kids and the other poor bastards that got captured, right?" Dean asked, standing up. Cas shook his head.

"No Dean. Kinderfressers eat children and infants. Any of the children who got abducted are most likely dead. I am sorry." Sam dropped his head at the news. Dean sighed.

"It isn't your fault Cas. But what about the fully grown people that disappeared? If it eats kids, why would it take adults?" Dean inquired.

"Well, I think that advanced Kinderfressers can turn fully grown humans into children so it can eat them. Its pretty sick." Sam said from the table. He reached into the duffel bag they had brought in with them and pulled out the archangel blade they had kept. "Hey Cas, can you pinpoint where it is hiding?"

"Yes, but-" Cas started but got cut off by Dean.

"No buts. We are getting in the car, and you are coming with us and showing us where it is. Then we are going to gank it and go for pie. Understand?" Dean said. Cas nodded grimly as he followed the men out the door. They got into the car, Cas in the back and Dean and Sam in the front, as usual.

"I believe that this could be extremely dangerous for you two. This thing has had centuries to gain strength and you do not have any idea what it could do to you. I think I should go in alone first." Castiel suggested as they made their way towards the warehouse that Cas had pointed out on the map. Dean shook his head immediately at the idea.

"No way Cas. We have dealt with a lot of creepy crap. This is just next on the list. Remember what happened with Famine when you went in by yourself?" Dean asked. Cas dropped his head, but kept a straight face.

"That would not happen again, I assure you. It would be much easier for me to 'scope' out the area, as you would say. Give me ten minutes." Cas pleaded. Sam disagreed too.

"No! We are going in there together and that is final!" Sam said at the back seat. He turned around to face the angel, but he had already vanished. "DEAN! He's gone. You gotta get there now." Sam demanded. Dean was already speeding up. They arrived to the address in a matter of minutes and the pair were out of the car almost before it stopped completely. Sam grabbed the archangel blade, and Dean grabbed the demon knife. He figured even if it couldn't kill it, it would at least hurt like a bitch.

The two ran into the warehouse and searched frantically through the grounds. About mid way through looking, they heard something scream in pain. The sound was so utterly pained and desperate that Sam and Dean broke into a sprint towards it. In the room they found, there was a child in incredibly large clothes on the ground, and there was a woman with her hand on his forehead. There was a strange sickly yellow glow that was coming out of her palm that was placed on his head. The clothes he had on were very obviously Cas'. The child was seemingly paralyzed in a standing position with his mouth open wide in a scream.

"Hey you bitch!" Dean shouted at the thing. She looked up and smiled menacingly, showing rows of ragged teeth. She let go of the child, and he slumped down onto the concrete, passed out inside Cas' clothes, barely visible under the dirty trench coat. She flipped her head to turn and look at the pair of hunters.

"Oh, a hunter! I haven't seen a hunter in three centuries! Nor an angel for that matter, the last one I saw tried to kill me. Lucky for me, I got him first." She gestured at the kid on the ground. "Your little friend was the perfect test subject." She spoke, her voice hinting at a slight German accent.

She stood at about 5'6", but she had a feeling of fear surrounding her. Something that made you want to curl into a ball and cry. She had pale violet irises that were barely visible because of her widely blown pupils. Her teeth were like a shark's, with at least four rows behind the main set, and the evil smile she gave the hunters seemed impossible with a maw like hers. She had long, stringy hair that reached her waist, the ends crusted with dried blood, contrasting with the honey tint to the rest of it.

"What do you mean? What did you do to Cas?" Dean asked, his knife drawn. She laughed loudly, walking towards them.

"Cas? Oh, you mean that angel boy? Well, he was a little difficult, but I managed. A few centuries and I can say I am about to eat an angel. I hear they are simply...delicious." She purred. She reached Dean and put a hand on his cheek. He was fuming. "I am sure you will be just as good Blondie, but you have to wait your turn."

"Yeah, I am sure I will you bitch. Now." He held the knife to her throat. "What did you do to Castiel?" He growled at the creature. She hissed and grabbed the knife from him and flung the hunter to the ground. She managed to get a kick to his side before Sam had plunged the archangel sword through her chest. She wailed in pain as she threw her head back.

"NOOOOOOO! I bested Lancelot to be defeated by some stupid AMERICAN hunter?" She screamed at nothing. The creature began to age astonishingly fast. Her dirty hair withered to her scalp, turning white as she dropped to her knees. Her face became wrinkled and lifeless as her screams turned to soft moans. Soon, they stopped completely as she disappeared into her clothing. A light breeze came through the place, blowing away the dust the creature had become.

"Did we just 'Wicked Witch of the West' that bitch?" Dean asked incredulously. Sam chuckled, but their exchange was interrupted by a soft cry from the bundle of Cas' clothes the thing had dropped.

Dean ran to the unconscious child on the ground. The little boy couldn't have been over three. He had a messy black mop of hair framing his round face. His body was limp on the ground, the tie around his neck was gripped in his tiny fist tightly, he was afraid. His eyes were scrunched closed.

"Who is that? And why is he wearing Cas' clothes?" Sam asked, not wanting to believe what he knew was really going on. Dean stooped down to the toddler and put a seemingly large hand on his forehead. Before he could speak, the toddler stirred and opened his eyes. They were wide and fearful, the pale blue irises rimming with moisture from tears. Then they saw Dean's face and he broke into an incredible grin.

"Dean!" The child yelled as he fumbled to get up. Once he did, he hurried across the small distance between them and wrapped his little arms around Dean's neck. Dean hesitated for only a second before wrapping his arms around the back of the child. He felt small wet spots forming on his shirt from the kid's wet eyes and nose, but he didn't move. Dean looked up at his brother who had watched the scene unfold before him with complete confusion. Dean shook his head and locked eyes with Sam.

"Sammy. I think...this _is_ Cas."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews so far, and I hope you like where the story is going from here. Love you guys! And keep reviewing.**

**Love, Me**

* * *

"Yay! Dean know me!" The toddler yelled from Dean's neck. Dean pulled back from the hug and looked into the now soft blue eyes of Cas. "Hey Cas," Dean said softly. "Are you okay?" Cas nodded his head.

" 'kay now. Meanie gone. Poof! 'am get her!" Cas explained excitedly. He tried to walk but tripped over his now enormous clothing and fell straight on his face. Dean would have laughed in any other circumstance, but Cas sat up and began to wail loudly. Dean panicked and tried to calm him down, but he wouldn't stop. Sam was laughing at this point.

"Dude you are terrible with kids!" Sam said before stooping down to join the pair. "What happened Cas? Did you hurt your nose?" Sam asked tenderly.

"Y-y-yes!" Cas sobbed, rubbing his eyes. "Kiss it!" He said, turning to Dean. Dean furrowed his brow.

"Me?" Dean asked, and received a vigorous nod from the toddler. Sam scoffed.

"Profound bond Dean, remember?"

"Shut up." Dean sighed as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the tip of Cas' nose. He squealed in delight twisted his fingers in Dean's shirt.

"Yay! Better now! Dean make ouchie go 'way. 'am make go boom, Dean make bad go 'way." Cas announced, using the hand that was not in Dean's shirt to pat his face.

"Yeah, you got that right Cas. We make the bad guys go away. Are you ready to go back to motel?" Sam asked. He nodded and twisted and turned until he freed himself from the trench coat. He remained in the shirt and pants, even though they dragged behind him. Dean grabbed the coat before they left with Cas holding Dean's hand all the way to the car. He refused to get in the back seat with Sam.

"Come on. Dean, he obviously likes you more than me, just let me drive so you can hold him on your lap." Sam groaned. Dean scowled bit got into the passenger seat and pulled Cas onto his lap. The little boy looked giddy to be in the front. He put his hands on the dash board, leaning forward and inspecting the glove compartment. Dean pulled him back before he realized he was stuck. Cas looked up at Dean.

"Dean?" He questioned, looking with his large innocent eyes.

"What's up?" Dean asked, turning him on his lap so they faced each other.

"Dean. 'ank you." He said, reaching his chubby hand to touch his chin. His eyelids drooped gently. Cas gave a huge yawn before leaning forward and resting on Dean's chest.

"Poor Cas, I'm surprised that he didn't knock out sooner. He just got de-aged by a few thousand years. Now that he is asleep, are we going to talk about what the hell we're going to do?" Sam hissed in the dark. Dean shrugged and moved his hand to Cas' back, rubbing it absentmindedly.

"I have no idea. Maybe we can get a hold of an angel? I have no idea how we are going to deal with a child Cas. The regular Cas is a hassle, let alone a freaking toddler." Dean said, keeping his voice down so he didn't wake Cas. He had begun sucking the thumb that was not holding tightly onto Dean's shirt. Dean looked down at him and laughed lightly. "He kinda reminds me of you Sammy. You used to suck your thumb when you were this age." Dean mused as he ran his fingers through the angel's thick locks, eliciting a sigh of contentment from Cas. Sam just stared at his brother.

"Dude, I think you should change your name to Deanna or something because wow. That was the most chick flick thing you have ever said. Not to mention you are freaking molesting his head." Sam laughed, Dean retracted his hand quickly from Cas' head like it burned, but he stuck his tongue out at his brother and placed his hand on the toddler's back again. The younger Winchester simply rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the road.

The rest of the ride was relatively quiet, only an occasional whimper from the sleeping Castiel. They reached the motel and were able to make it to their room without catching the eye of the nosy woman at the front desk. Dean carried the child into the room and set him on the bed closest to the door. Immediately, he sprawled out on the covers and sighed, smiling softly.

"We really have no one to call for this crap, do we? I mean, Balthazar is dead, Gabriel is dead, we don't know where Samandriel is, and I have no idea if there are any other angels that would help us. And is he human while he is like this? Or did he turn into a mini angel?" Sam asked Dean, only to receive a shrug as he reached for a beer in the motel room mini fridge. "No. No drinks until Cas is back to normal! Got it? I don't want you to turn into a complete drunk while I figure out what to do." Sam said, giving Dean bitchface #52 the "_don't argue with me_."

"Fine. I'll do it for Cas. Not you." Dean grumbled as he put the bottle back in the fridge. He walked over to the bed where Cas was laying down. "Where am I suppose to sleep? This was my bed!"

"Well, he's tiny. Just sleep on the other side of the bed. It'll be fine." Sam suggested. Dean groaned, but took off his plaid shirt and shoes until he was only in his jeans and light t-shirt. He flopped onto the bed and positioned himself so that Castiel had plenty of room, then promptly fell asleep.

* * *

"Dean. DEEEEEAN. DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAN." A soft voice whispered in Dean's ear, waking him up from a decently deep sleep. He rolled over to meet the baby blue eyes he knew he would.

"Hrmm?" Dean mumbled. Cas put his hands on his back and shook as violently as the three year old could.

"I can't sleep Dean. 'am loud." Cas complained about the snoring Sasquatch in the other bed. Dean chuckled lightly and he furrowed his brow.

"Well what'd you want me to do about it?" Dean asked, a little annoyed. Cas stood on the bed and crossed his arms.

"Wanna sleep with you." Cas said, trying to look tough, but not succeeding. Dean felt his eyes widen.

"You...you are, Cas." Dean stammered, not knowing what else to say. He wasn't exactly the most 'cuddly' person, and the last person he had 'slept' with without sex was Sam when he was 14 and they had to leave a town he got particularly attached to. Dean was never a fan, but it comforted his brother on occasion, but there was no way he was going to for Cas.

"No." Cas said as he fell to the bed and scooted over to where Dean was lying and embraced him. "See? All 'etter." Cas sighed. Dean took a second, but he wrapped his arms around the now sleeping Cas and lightly rubbed his back. Dean made sure that Sam was sound asleep before planting a light kiss on the crown of Cas' head and smoothing the hair back down. He fell asleep shortly after that, only aware of the warm presence that was cuddling into his chest.

"Night Cas."

Dean awoke to the sound of muffled laughter and a flash of light. The light was followed by a nearly silent curse as he heard something being dropped at the foot of the bed. He opened his eyes and found that Cas had shifted over the night. He was now laying his head on Dean's chest with a hand twirled in the hunter's shirt. Dean had a hand around the back of him and felt completely and utterly relaxed. Until he realize his ass of a brother was laughing his head off after taking a picture of the two.

"Oh, Dean, you said you didn't wanna sleep with him? I would think otherwise." Sam said with a grin as he made his way to the bathroom to take a shower. Dean nudged Cas' shoulder, trying to prod him awake. Instead, he squinted his eyes shut even further and held tightly.

"No! No take Dean! Mine! 'asie-el save, no take!" The toddler yelled furiously. Before Dean could do anything, a vase nearby shattered, sending shards and water everywhere but where they laid on the bed. Dean realized with a start that Castiel was having a nightmare. A very bad one.

"Shhh...Cas, its okay, Dean is right here." Dean murmured into his ear, stroking the thick mop of hair atop Cas' head. That seemed to calm him down a little bit, but Dean could see the tears streaming down his innocent face. Dean took a calloused hand and gently wiped the drops away from his cheeks, which caused the bright blue orbs to open and fix on Dean's face. A light smile tugged at the child's features.

"Dean 'kay. I save." Castiel said, patting the side of Dean's face affectionately. Dean felt a hot sting from behind his eyes as he smiled back.

"Yeah, yeah you did save me. Wanna get some breakfast?" He asked as he shifted Cas off his chest. Cas nodded as he dropped to the floor. At that moment, the child realized he was still in the too big clothes from the night before. In an instant, he was gone in a small fluttering noise. Dean panicked for all of a second before he reappeared at the table in an outfit identical to his usual, only much smaller. He even somehow found a nearly perfect replica of his trench coat. All of the dirty, too big clothes were piled in the corner of the room. Dean chuckled.

"Still got some mojo. Good."

Dean took out some cereal they kept from a cabinet and placed it in front of Cas. He rummaged through the duffel bags wildly before he found a bowl to put the cereal in. He poured a little bit, and then realized that they had no milk or spoons. He searched through the bags again, and still found nothing. Dean sighed and looked at the surprisingly patient child.

"Hey, Cas? You wanna come with me to the store?" Dean asked over enthusiastically. Cas thought for a second, then nodded as he got out from the chair. Dean grabbed a room key and blushed a little when a tiny hand slipped into his. He looked over his shoulder at the bathroom door. "SAM! CAS AND I ARE GOING TO THE STORE." Dean yelled as they walked outside. Castiel looked around in awe, his mouth perpetually dropped a bit. Dean laughed a little before going to the nearby convenience store.

_Ding_

The bell on the door rang as they walked into the store. Cas giggled at the sound and Dean just rolled his eyes. They made their way to the back and got the milk, then Dean let Cas get the spoons from the shelf. He held onto them, and protected them, as though they needed it. After grabbing a few more things, they got to the cashier and placed the items on the counter, Cas did with a little help from Dean. The lady at the counter looked at Cas with wide eyes and a goofy grin.

"Awwww! He is soooo cute! Your son is adorable!" She cooed at him. Dean felt a rosy blush spreading across his cheek. Cas giggled and stretched up on his toes to see the girl. His blue eyes peeked over the top and she nearly melted.

"Umm, yeah. Thanks." He muttered. The lady took a lollipop from the container by the register and handed it to Cas. He took it happily and unwrapped it, sticking it in his mouth. "Cas, what do you say?"

"'ank you!" The toddler said from around the sucker.

"You're welcome. Its my pleasure." She asserted. She rang up the items and put them in a bag. As they walked out, Dean noticed a piece of paper in the bottom with a phone number and a heart. He rolled his eyes and threw it away. When they got back to the room, Sam was on the computer at the table. He glanced up and noticed that Cas had his hand tightly around Dean's, but he just smirked to himself.

"Really, Dean? You gave him candy at 9 in the morning?" Sam asked, exhaling roughly. Dean shook his head.

"The chick at the store was all over him, she gave him a lollipop." Dean explained. He put the milk down on the table and poured some cereal for Cas. Then he gave him a spoon and poured the milk. Immediately, the angel dug in, shoveling spoonful after spoonful in his mouth. Dean chuckled a little bit, then went over to Sam. "So, did you find anything on how to change him back?"

"From what I read about Kinderfressers, if they don't eat the victims that they change into children, then the person will turn back into an adult within a month or so. But, since Cas is an angel, I think it will only be about a week or two." Sam explained. Dean couldn't believe it. They were going to have to deal with a toddler from the next two freaking weeks?

"This is going to be a long two weeks."


End file.
